Kieran Maguire: Everton bid to have points deduction wiped out could be ruined by double deal
Everton may find it hard to defend their financial charges in 2022-23 due to the £35million spent on Neal Maupay and Dwight McNeil.
That is the view of finance expert Kieran Maguire, who explained to Football Insider that the Toffees chose to sign both players despite being ‘so close to the FFP limit’.
As revealed by Football Insider, Everton are ‘very confident’ they can defend their financial breaches using a Premier League loophole.
The Toffees believe that the 2020-21 and 2021-22 accounts that were already punished within their 10-point deduction in November should be exempt from further punishment.
No such rules currently exist in the Premier League, but they are present in the EFL.
Maguire can understand why Everton are ‘aggrieved’ at the rules but added that their 2022-23 transfer business does not help their argument.
Everton spent £20million signing McNeil from Burnley, while an additional £15million was spent on Neal Maupay’s signature.
“Everton have breached the limits for the three years ending on June 30, 2022,” Maguire told Football Insider’s Sean Fisher.
“There is a case for saying the clock should be reset, and instead of looking at a £105million available loss over three years, it should be £35million over a single year.
“This is the defence that Everton have brought to the table.
“While they were aware of the rules, you can understand why the club feels so aggrieved.
“On the other hand, people who feel that the club should be punished will point out that they did sign the likes of Neal Maupay, Dwight McNeil and others in 2022-23.
“Given that Everton were aware that they’re running so close to the FFP limit, then this again would have given them an advantage.“
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